CELTIC FLAVIO NAZINHO DEAL “ALMOST COMPLETE”
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 11 hours ago
- 2 min read
I have to say, this little bit of news surprised me this morning. When I first wrote the other day about Celtic being linked with “yet another left-back” I didn't actually think our supposed move for Cercle Brugge’s Flavio Nazinho would go anywhere.
I’m delighted to say, it seems I was wrong.
News coming out of Belgium this morning suggests this deal is a goer and could be completed within a day or two.
Celtic Flavio Nazinho Signing Part of Wider Clear out at Cercle Brugge
The latest development, courtesy of Belgian news site HLN, suggests that Cercle, who only just avoided relegation on the last day of the season back in May, are selling a number of players to rebalance their books ahead of a season without any European football.
Last night, their Brazilian striker Felipe Augusto confirmed his move to Turkish giants Trabzonspor.
Now, usually when a club sells one star player, you would think that they then become less inclined to sell any others. However, that is not the case here.
Much like Royal Antwerp’s current predicament, which I discussed yesterday, Cercle Brugge are another club looking to cash in on their most valuable assets while they can.
There is only one nagging doubt I have about this deal going through now, and that is the lack of any indication of the fee involved.
As I said earlier this week, Flavio Nazinho only joined the Belgians last season, in a 2 million Euro deal from Sporting Lisbon. He is currently under contract until 2028.
This isn't like the Benjamin Nygren situation, where we can pick up an international player on the cheap because his contract is running down. Nor is it like Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s situation at Antwerp, where we know his club desperately needs the money.
Celtic will need to pay a sizable fee for Flavio Nazinho, probably somewhere in the region of 4 or 5 million Euros. This is a tidy profit for Cercle, however, 15% of that profit will go to his previous club, Celtic’s next pre-season opponents, Sporting Lisbon.
I am surprised that Celtic would be willing to pay that much for a player who is not likely to be a constant first team starter. However, it may depend on how they plan to manage Kieran Tierney.
At Celtic, Flavio Nazinho may be confident he can force his way into the manager's preferred starting eleven. Even if you or I think such a scenario is hugely unlikely, you’ve got to respect a young player with that degree of self-belief.
Such attributes will serve him well, if and when Flavio Nazinho does indeed become a Celtic player.